Thomas Tuchel smiled mysteriously when he was again confronted with his decision to leave Bayern for the summer. Given the latest twist in Munich’s coaching search, the football teacher was asked how unshakeable the agreement really was.
“You can terminate any contract jointly, you see that,” replied the 50-year-old. “Everything is always possible, but the answer is the same: the agreement is there and the agreement is there.”
Even if Tuchel cheerfully left room for interpretation before the Bundesliga game on Saturday (3:30 p.m./Sky and Sat.1) at VfB Stuttgart: The coach and club have already decided on a sensational turnaround after the decision to extend the cooperation originally agreed until the summer of 2025 to end this summer, positioned far too clearly.
However, who will be Tuchel’s successor is more open than ever. No Xabi Alonso, no Julian Nagelsmann – and no Ralf Rangnick either. Is FC Bayern no longer attractive enough?
“No. I don’t think so. He was attractive enough for me. Otherwise, I would prefer to remain silent about it at the moment. I’m still a coach at the moment,” said Tuchel before two “very attractive” tasks in the league against VfB and then in the premier class against Real Madrid. “On Wednesday we want to achieve our big goal of reaching the final of the Champions League. That’s why I’m not worried about Bayern’s future.”
Difficult days for sports director Eberl
For a successful future for the dethroned German champion, sports director Max Eberl, after less than two months in office, has to solve the tricky problem of who will be the new coach and lead the Munich star ensemble to the final at home in the summer of 2025. There is still no sign of the “white smoke” that was hoped for in April on the first days of May – even if Eberl already found the tricky situation when he took office. Eloquent statements from Uli Hoeneß, who criticized the outgoing Tuchel for his promotion of young talent, probably do not make Eberl’s search any easier.
Successor candidates may also notice such appearances. Zinédine Zidane (unaffiliated), Roger Schmidt (Benfica Lisbon), Lucien Favre (unaffiliated), Erik ten Hag (Manchester United), José Mourinho (unaffiliated), Antonio Conte (unaffiliated), Roberto De Zerbi (Brighton), Hansi Flick (unaffiliated ), Christian Streich (still Freiburg, then without a club), Martin Demichelis (River Plate), Mark van Bommel (Royal Antwerp) or even the former national coach Joachim Löw (without a club) – the list of crazy speculations gets longer with new names every day.
But Tuchel is convinced that these speculations are not hindering his team. The semi-final second leg on Wednesday against Real Madrid is “of course the highest priority,” said Tuchel. After a 2-2 draw in the first leg at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, the goal is to make it into the final on June 1st in London.
Zidane’s charisma, van Gaal’s Art Nouveau
Eberl also has to end his search for a coach as quickly as possible. A world star like the Frenchman Zidane with his charisma would certainly be a prestigious solution that could quickly make the previously unsuccessful search forgotten. To do this, the Munich team would have to change their original attitude in this regard, because Zidane was not a priority, at least initially.
Former Bayern coach van Gaal would certainly be a good candidate who could organize the more likely variant of a transition season. Especially since he is a coach who, as a youth promoter, once played a key role in paving the way for Thomas Müller’s rise. In a year, the coaching market could look completely different with the currently unavailable candidates Xabi Alonso (Bayer Leverkusen), Sebastian Hoeneß (VfB Stuttgart) or Jürgen Klopp (break after Liverpool).
Guardiola was the last
After the high level of coaching attrition in recent years, the Munich team is having a hard time finding a new coach. A decade ago, FC Bayern even managed to lure star coach Pep Guardiola to Säbener Straße. In 2016, Guardiola was the last coach who – apart from the eternal Jupp Heynckes – stayed until the agreed end of his contract.
